by J. A. Smith
Andre’s hand stopped squeezing after the gate closed. I started breathing again. Andre very quickly got up and almost ran out of the arena; everyone else seemed to equally share his quick retreat. Once inside I took hold of Andre’s arm, dragging him until we were away from anyone who would hear.
“I know we have our differences but since it seems my life in in danger can we leave now” my voice had a slight tremor to it.
“Yes I do believe it is best to take our leave” he said as we made our way back outside to the car.
“Who told her about me?” I asked once we left the mansion in the dust cloud.
“All supernatural’s have heard of the Siberian tiger, they just don’t know the human name, and trust me; that’s a good thing”. Andre said “If you were to fight her, I really couldn’t tell you who would win even with your abnormal speed anacondas are faster than anything I have ever seen, they are cunning creatures and are believed to be half god” Andre said
I didn’t have anything to say to that, I wanted to be in my home where I didn’t have to worry about ancient creatures wanting to kill me. I didn’t ask any more questions about the creature and thankfully Andre was happy with the silence that filled the car for once.
“I am sorry the night didn’t turn out the way I had envisioned, but next time will be much more romantic” Andre said as he walked me to my door.
“I don’t think I want another date anytime soon” I responded as I dug my key out of the purse to unlock the house, I was bone tired and wanted nothing more than to wash off tonight from my skin and sink into my bed for a dreamless sleep. Andre’s chuckle did nothing but irritate me, I wasn’t in the mood for his sense of humor tonight. “What gave you the illusion that I was giving you a choice Lana” cold dead hands gripped onto my arm and swung me around to where I was now facing him, a cruel smile on his face “I will be here same time next week and you will be ready to go out with me again, I am not imprisoning you like Richard and Amelia did but I am also giving you choice in the matter, you do not want me chasing you down, that I promise. I have waited long enough for you to come around and now that I have you within my grasp we will see where this leads one way or the other” A threating growl came out of my mouth before I could stop it which just seemed to make him smile more. He quickly kissed my cheek before he let me go, turning around he walked casually to his car like nothing had happened but a happy date. I watched until I could no longer see his tail lights before I went inside my house, slamming the door behind me. I didn’t want nor need any vampires taking over my life, hadn’t I already contributed most it to their cause already? Yes Andre was King but that only made the slightest bit of difference, he was just as cold and unyielding as the rest of his race.
Shaking off the thoughts of next week, I quickly undressed; banishing all thoughts of the anaconda and Andre from my mind as I showered. Sleep was harder to find than I wanted but eventually oblivion over took me.
Chapter 15
The nightmares I had cause me to toss and turn as I slept; the creature I was fighting was none other than Ainia the anaconda. Every move I had used over the years didn’t work on her; just before I would have been eaten I sprang up from my bed, dripping with sweat. I was so shaken that I screamed when my alarm went off, causing me to throw it against the wall; shattering it to pieces on impact. Taking several gulps of air I tried to calm my racing heart; any shifter of vampire within miles could probably smell my fear. On shaky legs I made my way to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my overheated skin; looking in the mirror I grimaced. I had dark circles under my eyes, my skin was pale and a sheet of sweat glistened on my upper body. Shaking off the thoughts of premonition I went to get dressed so I could make it into the office in a timely fashion.
I was still a tad shaken up as I walked outside to get into my lotus only to see it wasn’t there; remembering I had left it with Quinn had me groaning, this was something I didn’t need this morning.
“DAMNIT” I yelled after I had called him twice to no avail; I would have to call a cab to take me to work and hope my car was still there.
As the cabby pulled into the parking lot of my work I was surprised to see it was empty all but for my lotus. After paying the man for driving me, I walked over to the car searching for the keys, letting out an annoying huff after finding nothing, I made my way in to the office. A small envelope was waiting on my desk with my keys secured inside. With a smile I tucked the keys into my purse and started working on the paperwork I had stacked up.
It was about noon when my belly started to growl I hadn’t eaten anything this morning which is a first for me; I called in for a large pizza to be delivered. After lunch I continued working; completely engrossed in my task I didn’t know anyone else had come in until I heard Quinn’s deep voice.
“What are you doing here?” he asked looking at all the papers on my desk in confusion. I kept the little growl I had bubbling in my chest down from being scared nearly to death with his sudden appearance with a simple answer.
“Work”
“But its labor day” he scolded.
“If I don’t get it done now then I will just have more work tomorrow” I said typing up an invoice on the computer. Quinn sat down in the chair across then proceeded to place his mud covered boots on my desk. I kept typing with one hand while with the other I shoved his feet off. I could feel him staring at me and the calm I had only moments ago seemed to melt away to agitation causing me to mess up more than once.
“What do you want Quinn?” I asked after he put his boots back on the desk.
“So how did the “date” go?” he asked.
“Badly” I responded typing faster.
“Really” Quinn said with a big grin on his face.
“Yes really, now I have a lot of work to do here, so if you would please leave so I can get it finished”
“Something wrong babe” Quinn asked in a teasing tone. I hit the desk with both of my hand with only a little force; I liked my desk and didn’t want to have to replace it.
“Quinn… . ” I was going to tell him what an ass he was being but another thought came into my mind instead.
“What do you know about anacondas?” I asked. Quinn moved his boots from my desk considering me with a frown on his face.
“Why” he asked cautiously.
“I saw one last night, I’ve never heard of a shifter like that so I’m asking you” his face turned a lovely shade of red.
“So that is your idea of a date? Watching shifters kill each other? Wow I knew you changes Lana but not that much” the accusation hurt to hear.
“Quinn I do not think of that as a date, why do you think I just told you it was bad? The thing is” I said leaning back in my chair “The vampires were scared of this woman before she changed, like they knew what she was by just looking at her”
“Lana you need to stay away from reptilian shifters; they are all near extinction for a reason. I have only heard stories that have been passed down between pack masters. They say that there were only ten types of reptilian shifters when the world began and they were all ruthless, no emotions except when it came to their young, they didn’t just hunt when they were hungry; they hunted just to kill; kind of like vampires. I’ve read they are the only other creature besides you that can’t be burned when a vampire touches them; instead of burning their skin it heats up there blood and makes them quicker. The vampires had to hunt them down to extinction because the reptilian shifters were killing them to stay warm in the winter. The older they are the faster and stronger they are again like vampires, they say the devil himself brought them here because not even he could control them”.
I felt the blood drain out of my face suddenly making me very cold.
“She challenged the Siberian tiger last night” I informed him in a near whisper. After an awkward silence Quinn stood u
p and offered me his hand.
“That is really bad, you can’t stay here. Come on, I didn’t just find you after three years to have you killed by a legendary shifter.” he said grabbing my arm trying to yank me out of my seat.
“She didn’t know it was me; I promise. I wouldn’t be here if she did” I told him as I gently pried my arm out of his hand. He stopped pulling and looked down at me scared for my wellbeing.
“I won’t lose you again” Quinn stated as he came around my desk and knelt down in front of me, the anguish in his voice had my heart beating faster.
“I am not stupid Quinn, I won’t just stand up and say “hey I’m a Siberian” if I ever see her again; which I doubt will happen”
“I love you Lana. I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you sitting around Alan’s camp fire” Quinn said bringing his palm up to try and cup my cheek; I pulled back before he could touch me.
“You pull away every time I get close to you why?” Quinn asked watching me as he slowly let his hand drop; I tried hard not to fidget under his gaze.
“Quinn I can’t tell you why, because I honestly don’t know” I lied, I knew alright and if he cared for me as he said he did then things were going to get dicey from here on out. I didn’t want Andre to have a reason to go after Quinn; so any feelings I still harbored for him I boxed up tightly under the indifference I had practiced for years while living with Richard and Amelia.
“Quinn, I don’t feel the same. The feelings I had for you the night before I was taken was nothing more than a teenagers crush. I’ve grown up and so have you; hell you were engaged, while I am just now finding my own life. I want to be friends nothing more” The ache in my chest told me what a lie all of this was but I couldn’t risk the fact he could be used against me or end up dead; the thought had me near hyperventilating.
“Liar” I had to give it to him, he was quick. I was about to argue my lie when he leaned forward brushing his lips to mine. I froze, feeling his soft lips on mine had me wanting to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his with the passion I felt boiling in my blood. With patience I didn’t know I possessed, I refused to open my mouth, even when his tongue licked along the seam of my lips. I wanted to groan out loud from the feeling but instead I gently placed my hand on his chest and pushed him back.
“I’m not lying” I said as I tried to calm my racing heart as I looked in to his teal eyes that would forever plague my dreams.
“Lana” . . . . He started but I held up my hand stopping him, I had made my decision and even though it nearly killed me to do so, I had to keep lying to him.
“I have a lot of work to do” I said spinning my chair around to face my desk acting as though my heart wasn’t breaking. He didn’t leave, but he did stand up and walk into my line of vision staring at me, it made my hands begin to shake because now I wasn’t only fighting him but also my inner tiger that kept snarling MINE something she did every time Quinn came around.
“You are going to regret not knowing what we could have had Lana, and you will only have yourself to blame” He stated in a near whisper before leaving as I had asked. I attempted to get some more work done but my concentration was shit now, all I could think about was Quinn’s eyes when he had looked at me, he wasn’t trying to hide his love for me, he wasn’t afraid to let me know how he felt, I envied him for that.
After working through the mess of paperwork I went home, I got into my sweatpants and tank top and made hot coco. I read a little and then tried to watch TV; all types of romances were on and I didn’t feel the need to watch anything sappy at this point. When I heard a knock at the door I was surprised to see Andre when I opened it.
“May I come in?” Andre asked me.
“Sure, but I thought you weren’t going to be around until next week” I didn’t mean for it to come out as rude as it did but he was the reason I couldn’t be with Quinn.
“I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I’d drop by before I left” Since I lived in the middle of nowhere I knew he had lied but I didn’t comment. Andre didn’t sit down but kept looking around my living room. With a quiet sigh I told him no one was here. He had to have known that since he would have heard a heart beat the second I had opened the door.
“I would offer you something to drink but my jugular is not on tap this evening” I said walking past him until I was in the kitchen, I felt safer in here for some reason, maybe because the back door led out to the forest in case I needed to escape. “You are very stubborn women” Andre commented as he followed.
“What do you want Andre” I asked because there is always a reason.
“I want to get to know you Lana, you intrigue me to a degree that is very confusing” He looked at my empty cup of hot coco on the table.
“Does it taste good?” he asked as he touched the rim of the cup that still had a little chocolate on it from the coco.
“I like it, though I guess there are people in the world that dont” I responded feeling edgy, I didn’t trust this new Andre. He wasn’t dressed like he normally was in designer clothes, but wore tight blue jeans, cow boy boots and a white V neck shirt.
“What were you doing before I came” Andre said as he began going through my cabinets. The vampire’s facial expressions change so much it was like flipping through channels on a T.V.
“I was reading” I answered perplexed at his questions he said he wanted to get to know me but I had a feeling he wasn’t used to asking personal questions like this.
“What do you do in your off time; do you even get off time?” I asked curiously.
“I also read but not the same books as you I’m afraid” he said picking up my romance novel I had placed on the kitchen counter.
“What did Richard and Amelia do on their off time as you so put it?” Andre asked turning to look at me. I let out a calming breathe, he knew damn well what they had done when we were all alone.
“Well Amelia would brush my hair or paint my toe nails” I stated sarcastically. “Richard would dress up like a ballerina and sing a jolly tune. You know damn well what we all did together when we had the time”
“So you were their off time then” Andre asked. I didn’t answer since I didn’t like the look in his eyes; it was damn near close to obsession.
“Would you be willing to be my off time Lana” he said as he closed my fridge gently after he looked through the contents.
“No” I stated in a clipped tone.
“Am I not as good company as your King and Queen” he actually sounded hurt.
“I wouldn’t know since both times I have been with you there was some sort of fighting go on” I said as I picked up the dirty dishes from the sink and began washing them, maybe not the best thing to do at the moment but I needed something to clear my head, Andre was acting weird and it frightened me a little.
“What was your favorite part while you were with them?” Andre asked gently, I knew he was behind me now and still I didn’t turn around. I didn’t want to talk about Richard and Amelia, the thought of them caused my heart to sting.
When I didn’t answer him he stepped up until his chest was plastered to my back causing me to freeze.
“Did you enjoy their bite Lana? Did they bit you here?” Andre asked placing his hand on my neck. His skin was cold to the touch meaning he hadn’t fed yet. I gently placed the dishes I had been washing down before stepping away from him.
“What in the hell do you think you are doing” I all but growled.
“Learning more about you of course, but since you didn’t react to the touch on your neck that wasn’t where they fed mostly” He stated tapping his chin as he looked me up and down, I didn’t like the heated look he had in his blue eyes as he considered me.
“Normal people ask questions to get to know someone, they don’t take liberties when not invited” I said crossing my arms
over my chest.
“I am not good at asking questions to get the answers; I prefer a much more direct approach, but I can tell you are not in the mood to be touched. Why is that?” He asked as he tilted his head causing his blonde hair to cascade over his shoulder.
“I’ve had a long day” I responded tightly.
“It could be great between us Lana, just imagine. You would never be challenged again; you would live a life of luxury we could rule the supernatural world together” A cold chill went through my body as Andre spoke; he had really thought we would be together.
“Andre, listen to yourself You the Master of all vampires wants a shifter to his beloved? The vampires would think you’ve gone off your rocker, hell that’s what I think at this moment. I would be challenged at every turn and you would be the laughing stock of the supernatural world. We could never be together” I made sure my voice held the conviction needed for his to see the error of his ways of thinking.
“Why do you fight this attraction between us?” his asked as if I hadn’t spoken, maybe he had lost his mind.
“Your kind has killed those I have cared for. Your kind has taken me from my family so I could fight against my kind for entertainment and you dare ask me why I fight any attraction to you at all” I was so mad I could feel the need to shift and tear something apart.
“You are condemning me because of something another vampire did to you?” He laughed but it sounded strained. “You are a hypocrite Lana, how many of my kind had you killed before you were even captured? And yet I am still overlooking those dangers to be with you. I don’t think you understand that I have not felt this way since… ” he took a shuddering breath as he closed his eyes, if I didn’t know any better I’d say he was in pain. “A very long time ago I fell in love with a woman, much like you. Stubborn, beautiful and dangerous; I didn’t understand my feelings at the time for I was young, but when I had got enough courage to confront her about my feelings, it was already too late. She loved another and I lost her. I will not be so foolish again and lose someone I have deep feelings for. I do not love you yet Lana, but every time you pull away from me I burn more with the urge to touch you. I am a patient man so I will give you time to come to terms with the fact the eventually we will be together” My mouth was hanging open from this story and bluntness.
